Lawn or yard signs such as, for example, political signs, real estate signs, apartment signs, construction signs, and/or security signs, are used for a variety of purposes. They inform visitors, warn passersby, draw potential customers to properties, and more.
Generally, lawn signs are formed of a laminated paper or cardboard sign attached to a metal stake. FIGS. 1-2 show front plan and back perspective views of a traditional lawn-sign system 20 that is common in the prior art, respectively. Lawn-sign system 20 includes a u-shaped aluminum stake 22, a laminated paperboard sign 24, and a rubber cap 26.
Traditional lawns sign systems such as prior art system 20 are simple in design and functionality and, as a result, exhibit several deficiencies. Initially, aluminum stakes such as stake 22 are slightly malleable and are vulnerable to the strike forces required to pound the sign systems into the ground. While traditional sign systems often include some sort of shock absorber such as rubber cap 26, these thin barriers are not sufficient to prevent the damage often caused by pounding the stake into dry, hard, and/or rocky soil. Once driven into the ground, traditional stakes are also susceptible to forces applied by wind and other inclement weather. In both situations, traditional stakes like stake 22 have a tendency to bend. Even if the metal may be straightened, this solution leaves the stake with unsightly, visible deformities.
While traditional stakes may be damaged upon ground installation, as discussed above, the smooth, streamlined surface of traditional stakes also allows them to be too easily removed. This ease of removal renders traditional signs susceptible to vandals, accidents, and inclement weather.
Traditional metal stakes are also limited aesthetically in that they offer a single color—silver. While the user may customize the sign to be attached to the stake, he or she cannot customize the appearance of the stake itself, which detracts from the overall effectiveness of the sign. Any modifications or added features a user wishes to include on a traditional stake (e.g., installation instructions, warnings, accessory mounts, etc.) must be added to the stake as an afterthought requiring additional parts, hardware, and oftentimes, tools. For instance, instructions or warnings must be applied as an external sticker. Accessories (e.g., that provide lighting, sound, etc.) must be attached using clamps, screws, adhesives, or other attachment mechanisms.
Traditional signs like prior art system 20 also commonly require hardware such as nuts, bolts, rivets, and/or double-sided tape to simply attach the sign to the stake. In FIG. 1, sign 24 is adhered to stake 22 via a nine-inch strip of double-sided tape (not shown). This need for additional attachment hardware is not only inconvenient, it often requires a sign to be attached to or installed upon the stake prior to inserting the stake into the ground. As a result, traditional signs can be damaged when a user misaims the hammer during ground installation.
This method of sign attachment also leaves the sign's placement in relation to the stake a function of the user's judgment. He or she eyeballs the sign and stake in an attempt to screw, rivet, and/or adhere the sign to the stake in a straight, centered position. Oftentimes this manual placement results in a skewed appearance. Once a particular traditional sign has run its course, it cannot be easily replaced without specialty tools. In certain cases such as those involving double-sided tape, removal can damage or even destroy the sign.
A few existing lawn stakes and sign/stake combinations or systems attempt to address one or more of the shortcomings discussed above. While these existing products tackle select deficiencies, such as ease of stake removal, predisposition to bend, or shock absorption, no existing product addresses the collection of issues present in traditional lawn-sign systems. Thus, lawn-sign products existing in the prior art fail to provide a simple, reliable, affordable, and aesthetically pleasing lawn-sign solution.